Confide In Me
by Sweda
Summary: One afternoon, Henry confides in Robin about what's going on with his mother. And Robin takes it upon himself to fix the problem.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: First of all English isn't my native language, so I apologize for any linguistic errors. Secondly, I'm not sure where I'm going with this. As I was going through my old stuff, I found this and I thought, why not post it and see what happens. Anyways, happy reading!_

* * *

"Robin?"

"Yeah, Buddy," Robin replied a bit absentmindedly as he was trying to get the proportions of the right, back leg of the horse he was sketching correct.

"I think someone's hurting my mom."

The hand that had been moving the pen over the paper froze and Robin's head snapped up to look at the boy. The boy in question had his head tucked down and moved his crayon absentmindedly over the paper, creating an abstract pattern. His shoulders were slouched and he wore a sad expression.

"Why'd you say that?" Robin asked, the knot in his stomach growing with each second that passed by. His full attention was now on the boy, the drawing long forgotten.

Henry shrugged without meeting Robin's searching eyes and kept moving his crayon, adding circles and lines without much enthusiasm. "We had this Awareness Day in school yesterday because of what happened last week," he began.

'Because of what happened last week.' Robin remembered Regina unexpectedly having to leave the office early last Thursday after having received an urgent phone call during their afternoon staff meeting. She never returned that day.

When they talked Friday morning, she had revealed to him that the reason for her urgent departure the day before had been due to that a girl two years older than Henry had jumped from the roof of the school. Through the hearsay of other parents, Regina had found out that the girl had left a note behind, accusing one of her teachers of molesting her. When Robin asked her if her son had seen the girl jump, her reply had been that Henry, and the rest of his class, had thankfully not witnessed the incident.

Either way, the school had called for all parents to take their children home until everything was back under control. Robin, having become quite close friends with her over the months they had worked together, had noticed that the incident had taken a toll on Regina, her son being just two years younger than the girl who had been declared dead at the scene. Regina had also told him about the conversation she had had with Henry afterwards, how she had almost pleaded with her son to tell her if something was wrong or if someone had done anything that made him feel uncomfortable. She had also made him promise that if he felt he couldn't talk to her, that he at least talks to someone, but that she hoped that he felt he could talk to her no matter what.

Robin was pulled from his memories when Henry continued speaking. "There was this woman there, telling us what's okay touching and what isn't. She told us what signs to look for so that we can see if someone might be in trouble, so that we can help. She told us that it's not unusual for the person to be jumpy, to get startled when you touch them unexpectedly, even if it is just a friendly touch or brush when you pass by. She also told us that sometimes, the ones in trouble usually keep to themselves, they don't try to make a lot of friends. And my mom does those things. She jumps if she doesn't hear me coming, she usually tenses up when someone is accidentally brushing against her at the supermarket and she doesn't have a lot of friends that she likes to hang out with. She says it's because she likes spending time with me, but I don't think that's the only reason she doesn't see her friends as often. And then there's the crying, and the nightmares. Sometimes, at night, when she thinks I'm asleep, I can hear her crying in her room. Other nights, I wake up to her screaming and when I go into her room to see what's going on, she looks terrified. On those nights, she usually lets me sleep in her bed, she says it is to make me feel better, an apology for having scared me awake. But I _know _she needs it more than I do, I _know _she's more scared than I am."

Somewhere in the middle of his speech, he had abandoned the drawing and locked eyes with Robin. Now, he was looking pleadingly at him, almost as if he was begging for Robin to believe him, to not just put it off as the vivid imagination of an eleven-year-old.

Upon receiving this look, Robin felt the absolute need to assure him that that was not the case. He reached across the table and took Henry's hands in his. "Henry," he said with what he hoped was a respectful and comforting voice, "I don't know what's going on with your mom, but I promise I will make it my mission to find out if someone's hurting her. And if that's the case, I promise I will make sure that it will never happen again."

Henry didn't look convinced, despite Robin's assurances that he would look into it. Robin, now very concerned for Regina, had, when he thought about it, noticed her being jumpy. He had noticed her tensing up whenever people got near her, and also, how much coffee she drank some days, always brushing it off with a dismissive wave and 'Didn't sleep well last night' whenever he commented on her being on her fourth cup before noon.

Robin released one of Henry's hands only to place a finger under the boy's chin, using it to tilt his head slightly upwards so that he could look him straight in the eyes as he spoke his next sentence. "I give you my word, I will do everything in my power to protect her."

The boy still looked slightly torn, his want to trust Robin in conflict with his knowledge that the words of eleven years olds were not always taken seriously. "Promise?"

"I promise," Robin vowed and gave the hand he still had in his a small squeeze.

Henry's want to trust him seemed to finally win over as he nodded his head once, a small smile, that did not quite reach his eyes, forming on his lips as he said, "Thank you."

"No need to thank me, young man. I can only hope that my own son will grow up to be just as kind, caring and protecting of his parent as you are," Robin replied sincerely.

Henry slipped his hand out from Robin's and went back to his drawing, looking less conflicted and more at ease. Robin, on the other hand, found himself unable to let go of the disturbing news.

In an attempt to appear comfortable for the boy's sake, he tried to continue with his drawing by picking up the pen he had abandoned earlier. Though, his concentration seemed to have disappeared. No matter how hard he tried to focus on the horse's leg, his mind drifted off to Regina. He had noticed the signs, at one point he had even considered asking her about it, but as the weeks went by, he had put it off as a part of her personality. Regina Mills, slightly jumpy, mindful of her own space and excels at drinking coffee.

Now, as Henry has voiced his worries, he felt bad about not making the connection on his own. If someone's truly hurting her, he could have helped her a long time ago, spared her at least three months of pain and misery. Not that he knew who could be causing her that pain. Frankly he had no idea at the moment.

The usual suspects where not there, not that he knew of. Least he knows, Regina's single which makes a deadbeat boyfriend an unlikely scenario. Though, on the other hand, how much does he, Robin Locksley, editor at Leopold Blanchard's firm The Enchanted Forest, co-worker of Regina Mills, know about said co-worker's personal life?

He knows of her son, of course, through his after-school classes in creative writing. He knows she likes apples, red not green, and that she makes a killer lasagna, having been fortunate enough to have been offered a piece that one time he forgot his lunch.

But when it comes to her relationships, he has no clue.

He's never heard her speak of a boyfriend or even of a date. He doesn't know who her friends are, he thinks the ones he met at the bar the night he, fortunately according to him, almost hit her with a dart. Mal was there, and someone named... Tink? Yeah, they definitely introduced her as Tink, which he's pretty sure is a nickname. Or the poor result of her parent's attempt of new thinking... Either way, Robin realized that he had not a single guess who might be hurting her.

A knock on the open door leading to his office brought him back from his rambling thoughts and as he looked up from his drawing to see who it was, he was met by the dark eyes of the woman occupying his mind.

"Hi," she greeted and slipped inside the office, walking straight up to Henry and placing a kiss at the top of his head.

"Hi, Mom," the boy replied and turned his head up, smiling at her.

Regina smiled in returned and brushed some hair off his forehead before turning to address Robin. He must have looked at her strangely because the smile faded and a second later she asked him what was wrong.

"Nothing," Robin quickly replied and scolded his features into what he hoped would come off as relaxed. It must have, because after giving him a last questioning look, she dropped the subject and moved on to what she had meant to ask him. "He hasn't caused any trouble, I hope?" She phrased it as both question and a statement.

"He's been noting but the good boy that he is," he assured her with a smile.

"I'm right here, you know."

As the boy spoke up, both adults turned their attention to him, wearing matching expressions.

"I know, Sweetheart," his mother said. "Just making sure that you behaved."

Henry eyed his mom, looking so much like Regina that Robin had to suppress a grin. He was definitely her son. A second later, the boy's face turned into a huge grin, one that any parent would recognize as a trick to get what they wanted and the boy did not disappoint.

"Can we still go for ice cream?" he asked his mother.

Regina glanced at the watch fastened around her left wrist before answering. "It's a little late but since I did promise you, I will agree to it." Henry's smile grew wider and he immediately began cleaning, putting away the crayons and paper, but Regina put a finger up, halting his movements. "As long as you promise to finish dinner."

"I promise, I'll even leave a special void in my stomach for it."

Robin exchanged knowing looks with Regina and chuckled at the boy. Then all three of them began cleaning the table.

Just as Henry and Regina was about to leave, Robin asked if he could speak to the boy alone for a second. Regina had no objection.

Robin kneeled down in front of the boy. "I just wanted to give you my phone number. You can call my whenever you want, no matter the time."

Henry accepted the note Robin was holding out for him. ""Thank you," he said.

"Now go and get that ice cream your mum promised you," Robin said and ruffled Henry's hair.

The boy smiled at him and ran out the door towards his waiting mother.


	2. Chapter 2

The first time they met had been before he'd started working for Leopold. It had been over a year ago, in a dimly lit bar, alcohol in their blood and music pounding.

* * *

"_What the hell are you doing?!"_

_Regina stared at the dart stuck in the wall that had soared past just seconds ago. It had been inches from hitting her square in the eye. She turned to glare at the man responsible for almost making her blind. _

_He was good looking. It was the first thing Regina noticed about him, despite her rage. He had sandy blonde hair and bright eyes. Blue, she thought. Or maybe they were grey? It was hard to make out the exact color in this dimmed light. His beard was trimmed and she thought she could detect a set of dimples as she watched him trying to suppress a grin. He clearly thought this was amusing. Well, he hadn't seen her full-blown rage quite yet. _

_While she was glaring at him, he was looking her up and down, apparently seeing something he liked. Regina took the growing smirk and rise of his eyebrows as an indication. _

_Regina didn't appreciate being ogled at, especially not when the man (no matter how attractive she found him) had just thrown a dart at her. Just a few seconds ago, she had been stepping out of the ladies' room, minding her own business. Then all of a sudden, a dart swooshed by right in front of her eyes. And the man responsible had the decency to be checking her out, while smirking!_

"_I needed to get your attention somehow and at the moment, this appeared to be the easiest way."_

_He was British. And good looking. And if he hadn't just thrown a dart at her, she would have suggested them getting a drink together. _

"_Ever heard of talking?" she countered, placing her hands on her hips and jutting out her chin._

"_I like to make a memorable first impression." _

_Again with that enticing accent of his._

_He didn't look like a tourist, though. The ease and comfortable way he moved around indicated someone local. Though, she didn't dwell much on it since his arrogance had the temper her mother always been so keen on her controlling flaring. _

"_Well, surely you could have come up with something better than a dart to my face," she spit. "Why not put on a show over by the pool table? Or draining that beer," she pointed at the bottle in his hand," in less than a minute? Why the hell not make a perfect backflip right here in the middle of the room?!" _

_He tilted his bottle back and drank the last of it, "It's not fair if the bottle's not full. And besides, I wouldn't have hit you, you see. I have excellent aim." _

_He appeared to be completely unaffected by her rage, something that was very usual to Regina. She opened her mouth. But nothing came out of it. She closed it and ran a hand through her hair, recovering seconds later. "Confident now, are we?" she huffed. _

"_Rightfully so, yes. Come on, I'll show you."_

_Before she knew what was happening, the stranger had put his hand on the small of her back (something she wouldn't have allowed if she hadn't been so baffled by his boldness) and guided her until she was standing in front of the dartboard. He then held out his hand for her, expecting her to give him back his dart, which she did. Dart in hand, he got into position, standing closely behind her. He was focused on the small, red center of the board. Regina was focused on him. On the way his proximity her feel his body heat against her back, how his breath created goosebumps on her neck with each exhale, sending shivers down her spine, and how the muscles of his toned arm flexed just before the dart left his hand._

_Regina watched as it hit dead center. She was impressed. And turned on. She could feel her cheeks flushing. _

_The stranger turned to her, wearing a smug smile, one that he was entitled to after that hit, "See?"_

_Regina felt herself growing bold, "Not bad," she whispered, leaning close and letting her breath send shivers down his spine. _

_It was her turn to smile smugly as she watched his Adam's apple bob. He cleared his throat, "Not bad, huh? M'lady, that was a perfect hit, if I may say so myself."_

_Regina dragged her teeth over her bottom lip and watched with satisfaction as the stranger's eyes dropped to stare at her lips. "Fine, it was impressive."_

"_Impressive enough that I get to buy you a drink?"_

_Regina pretended to ponder the question for a minute. "Okay. Iäll agree to one drink."_

_The two of them made their way towards the bar, Robin taking the lead. Once there, he leaned against the counter and called the barman by name. _

"_Hey, John! One beer and…" Robin turned to look at Regina. "One appletini," she filled in._

"_Coming right up!" John confirmed, throwing the towel in his hand over his shoulder. _

"_So," began Regina. "On fist name basis with the bartender. You must come here often."_

_Robin chuckled. "John is an old friend of mine, we go way back. Thanks Buddy," Robin said as John placed their orders in front of them. "We've known each other since we were little boys so this I usually the place I hang out." He took a sip from his bottle. "How about you? I don't think I've ever seen you here before."_

_Regina mimicked Robin and took a sip of her drink. "This is my first time. My friend on the other hand," Regina nodded her head towards a table where two blondes sat, "comes here quite often."_

_Robin looked in the direction Regina had nodded and chuckled softly. " Her I have seen here before."_

"_Mal?" Regina asked rhetorically, already knowing Mal was the one that frequented the place. _

"_So that's her name."_

"_Well, it's short for Mallory. But she hates it when someone calls her by her full name." _

"_I see," Robin replied. "So how come you're here this evening then?"_

_Regina took another sip of her drink and replied, "Well, Mal, who also happens to be my co-worker, has been nagging me for ages to get out more. So, I finally agreed to a night out."_

"_Not a big fan of bars?" Robin asked._

"_It's not that I dislike them. It's just, when you have a kid, other things get priority."_

"_I hear what you're saying. I've got a kid on my own."_

_Regina had to admit that this came as a small chock to her. She had not guessed him a father. Recovering from the initial surprise, she asked, "How old?"_

"_Roland's just turned four. How about your child?"_

"_That's a lovely age," Regina said with a smile and raised her glass to her lips. She took a gulp of her drink and swallowed. "Henry's ten."_

"_A big boy then," Robin replied._

"_Don't remind me," Regina said with a nervous chuckle. "I would like for him to stop growing so damn fast."_

"_I quite agree. Even though Roland's only four."_

_Robin took a large gulp of his beer and emptied his bottle. "Care for another one?" he asked, nodding towards Regina's almost empty glass. _

_Regina pondered the question. She was supposed to spend time with her friend's. But at the same time, both Mal and Tink had said to her on multiple occasions that she needed to get herself a man. Regina decided to treat herself. The man she had in front of her was kind, good looking and had just offered to pay for yet another drink. "Yes, please."_

_Robin grinned and made a gesture for John to get over to them. "Another beer please and a refill for the lady," Robin said as John reached them. _

"_You got it!" John replied. _

* * *

They had spent the rest of the night talking, getting to know each other. Phone numbers had been exchanged and even though the both found the other one attractive, they had gone their separate ways at the end of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thank you guys for the positive feedback! Here's another chapter for you guys!_

* * *

Regina was sitting crossed legged on her desk, a half-eaten bagel in one hand and a manuscript in the other. Her mother would have killed her if she saw her right now, sitting on furniture, slouching, reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose all while getting bread crumbs all over her carefully ironed black slacks.

But Regina had always felt some satisfaction doing things her mother disapproved of. At least when she was not there to punish her. And besides, her office door was closed, the two floor-to-ceiling glass windows placed on either side of it frosted. No one could see her, and therefore she wouldn't become 'an embarrassment to the family', like her mother so often called her.

She had found it, the next best seller. The manuscript she had in her hand was the best she had laid eyes on in ages. Regina had only gotten three chapters in, but she was sure of it, this was the next moneymaker. She needed to show the others.

Stuffing the bagel in her mouth and getting some cream cheese smeared on her upper lip, she bit into it lightly to keep it from falling as she jumped off her desk. Standing, she brushed off the crumbs remaining on her pants. She then put her high heels back on and removed the glasses from her nose, placing them on top of her head.

Walking with determined strides, her stilettos clicking with each step, she made it to the break room in no time.

Inside, she found the person she was most eager to share her discovery with. He was always early, so she knew he would be there. The rest of her colleagues usually arrived around nine. Regina, on the other hand, usually made it there by seven thirty. She liked to get a head start so that she could leave to pick up Henry at the youth center around four.

Glancing at the clock as she walked inside the room, she calculated that he had been here for about an hour, it was a little after eight thirty right now. Much like her, he had a routine, but instead of actually doing work once he got there, he liked to hang out in the break room, make himself a cup of coffee and work on 'getting into the right spirit', as he liked to call it, before starting the real thing at nine when the others arrived.

Like she had predicted, he had kept to his routine.

He was sitting with his back turned to her, coffee cup in hand, newspaper unfolded on the large oval table top located in the middle of the room, probably working on his spirit. Screw his mental crap, Regina thought, sharing her newest finding was more important than letting him sip his coffee in peace.

"You have to read this!" she said, leaning over his shoulder and dropping the manuscript on top of his paper.

Robin turned towards her, "Good morning to you, too," he said, flashing her the dimpled smile Regina was pretty sure he only used for her.

They had long ago established where they remained in their relationship. Professional and friendly. Although, that damn smile always reminded her of how they first met a year earlier. The mutual attraction that had them ending up at the bar, sharing stories over drinks. An attraction that was still very present despite their agreement to keep things strictly professional.

"Read it. I want your opinion," she said, taking a few steps back. Having him so close and smelling so god damn good wasn't helping. She spun on her heels, taking a bite of her bagel, and went to prepare herself some of that delicious coffee she had gotten a whiff of. The company had recently, much to the employers' satisfaction, invested in new coffee machines for the break rooms. Pot coffee had been replaced by cappuccino, espresso, macchiato, all just a few touches of the screen away. Regina finished the last of her bagel as she made her choice, settling on a latte with an extra shot.

The machine was placed on the counter next to the sink, which was lucky for her. Just as had touched the screen, she lowered her hand and noticed the missing mug. Since sha was standing so close to the sink, a simple maneuver made it possible for her to grab on to the nearest cup.

Once the coffee in making was under control, she turned and leaned against the counter, and tried to gauge Robin's reaction to the script. But since he was seated with his back towards the kitchen area, all she had to work with was head movements and the way he shifted in his seat while reading different parts of the story.

She didn't gain much and as the coffee machine beeped, signaling that the caffeinated drink was ready for her, she turned around and grabbed the cup. Robin would tell her in a minute, he was never sparse with sharing his thoughts.

She left her cup on the counter and walked to the fridge, where she grabbed the carton of milk. Even though the coffee tasted like heaven, its temperature could be compared with flames.

On her way, back to her scalding drink, she grabbed a spoon from one of the drawers and used it to stir as she poured the chilled, white liquid into her cup, making it drinkable.

She had just dropped the spoon into the sink when she heard a familiar voice from behind. "Good morning, Peaches."

Regina made a face and turned around to get her cheeked kissed by the company's CEO, who also happens to be her stepfather.

"Morning, Leo," she replied, inwardly cringing as his lips touched her cheek.

No matter how much her mother nagged about it, she'd never called him Dad. She already had a dad, one that was taken away from her in one of the cruel way possible. Even though he was gone, he was still, and would always be, Daddy. No one could ever replace him, especially not Leopold Blanchard.

During one of her mother's rather harsh schooling about her being disobedient in the matter, Leo had stepped in and defended her, something she had been grateful for. "The girl already has a father," he had said. "I don't wish to replace him, I know I could never do that. I'm just happy she's letting me be a part of her life." At that point, still early on in her mother's new marriage, Regina had felt respect towards him, for understanding and accepting that she wasn't, and would never be, ready to call someone else Daddy. That feeling had changed almost a year later, on a skiing trip Leo had taken with his two daughters. Even though Regina didn't view him as her father, he thought of her as his own.

"Good morning, Sir," Robin called from his seat at the table.

"Good morning," he greeted in return as he reached for a clean cup. Regina took the opportunity to create some distance between them, taking a seat next to Robin. "And how many times do I need to tell you that you don't have to call me Sir."

"My apologies, Mr. Blanchard."

The machine made a noise as it began to pour liquid into his cup. "Or Mr. Blanchard. I'm Leo to everyone working on this floor. Or Leopold, if it makes you more comfortable," he added as an afterthought.

Robin nodded and then turned to focus on Regina. "So, what do you think?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee. It tasted just as amazing as she remembered, maybe even better, having survived on her homemade coffee over the weekend.

"I think you're quite right. This really is something."

"How far have you gotten?"

"About three pages."

She smiled at him over the rim of her mug, "The rest of what I've read is just as good, if not better," she said before taking another sip and then placing it on the table.

"You've found something worth publishing?" Leo questioned as he pulled out the chair next to Regina's and sat down.

"I think so," she said. "Take a look at this." She reached for the bundle of papers and handed it over to him. While waiting for him to give his verdict, Regina asked Robin about his weekend.

"I took Roland to the park to practice bicycling without his training wheels. A few bruises later, on my part, Roland was practically wrapped in bubble wrapper as much protective gear as he was wearing, he made it a few feet on his own." The proud smile he wore as he told her about it was another reason she liked spending time with Robin, he was a great father, a characteristic that Regina admired tremendously.

"I remember when Henry was that age. He fell off so often that I ran out of bandages in just days."

"Speaking of Henry, how's his writing assignment going?"

Every Thursday of the week, Robin held a creative writings class for children at the local school.

"It's coming along well. We watched a movie Saturday night, which he said really inspired him, so he spent pretty much all Sunday writing."

"Sounds lovely! I look forward to reading it."

* * *

Robin watched as Regina returned to her room, cup in one hand and the manuscript she had been handed back from her stepfather. He had watched the two as they had greeted each other in the break room. And he had seen Regina cringe as Leopold had leaned in for a kiss on her cheek. Robin was suddenly reminded of what Henry had told him a few nights ago. How someone was hurting his mother. What if Regina's own stepfather was the one who was hurting her?

Robin knew Regina disliked her mother's new husband. And her stepsister Mary Margaret. But could he really be the one that was making life difficult for Regina? So difficult that her own son had noticed something was off?

Robin contemplated the question as he was draining his cup of coffee. He then rose from his chair and headed for his desk. He doubted he would get any work done this morning, thoughts of Regina occupying his mind. But at least he had to try, even though it turned out to be pretty much impossible.


End file.
